A/N—This is my first shot at a serious multi-chapter Harry Potter fanfiction, so please read and review! Flames are welcome!

This is the LONGER VERSION of chapter 1, in essence it's what the first chapter is plus the second chapter.

Hottietom—This is in essence both Chapter 1 and 2. There is still only one chapter, even if it says otherwise.

X.X

'…the boy who lived has not returned to Hogwarts…' the Daily Prophet had reported five months ago.

'…You-know-who kills fifteen at wizarding school…' said another article in the stack of newspapers piled on top of each other.

'…the Chosen One is nowhere to be found…'

'…You-Know-Who continues his reign of terror…'

'…the hunt for Harry Potter continues…'

'…Aurors unable to stop he-who-must-not-be-named...'

'…Wizarding world does not give up hope on boy…'

'…two months and still no sign…'

'…Minister of Magic powerless to stop You-Know-Who…'

'…Harry Potter believed dead…' It was the most recent article, piled on top of all the others. The wizarding world saw the trend—each newspaper title became less hopeful as time progressed. However, there were those who never gave up hope.

X.X

"We've found him!" yelled an excited voice.

"Where?"

"A dozen miles south of Godric's Hollow."

"Get the rest of the Order together and hope we get to him before you-know-who!" It was the best news he had heard in ages.

Chapter 1

Seventeen made Harry a legal adult in the wizarding world; it also stripped from him the last remnants of love and sacrifice his parents had left behind. His mother's blood could no longer keep him safe, and without Dumbledore, Harry had been running. He had nowhere to go—he didn't want to endanger the Order who, without Dumbledore, seemed more fallible than ever. Hogwarts was out of the question. If Draco of all people could get Death Eaters in right under Dumbledore's nose…well, it just didn't seem safe anymore.

Through all of his running, he knew the inevitable would soon come. Voldemort always got his man. Just look at Karkaroff…Dumbledore. It just took varying degrees of time. The only victim he failed to kill was none other than himself, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before they'd have to fight. For now, it was about self-preservation and training.

He had initially been driven by blind rage that turned into righteous justice. He had to stop Voldemort; if he didn't, who would? For three months he sat alone in an abandoned house in the middle of a dense forest, biding his time and believing himself untrackable. There were, after all, no wizards or muggles around for miles. Besides, who'd be crazy enough to journey through a forest that was so dense that sunlight didn't come through in the mornings? Where it was permanent night time? Furthermore, who'd believe that Harry Potter, the boy who lived, would choose to hide in such a dilapidated area? This was nowhere for a boy to live.

But Harry was a man now, more than capable of handling himself. The circumstances had hardened him from an innocent boy to a paranoid man. No one had known that, so no would one would even consider looking for him here. Besides, most of the wizarding world believed him dead; he hadn't been heard or seen for months, and everyone knew he was you-know-who's most wanted man; and from the noticeable trend, You-Know-Who always got his man. So Harry truly believed himself untraceable.

He had been right—until the day the knock came.

Harry had been trying nonverbal curses, improving them, perfecting them. 'Who could that be?' he thought to himself. 'Probably a stranger lost in the woods.' Raising his wand cautiously, he warily made his way to the door and slowly opened it.

"Expedimenta!" His wand flew to the back of the hut. At the door was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, murderer of Sirius Black, and a few other Death Eaters that Harry did not recognize. "So the Dark Lord was right," she sneered. "Young Potter hasn't died. His cowardice drove him to hide in this filthy dump." She gave a small laugh. "You should know by now, Potter, that you cannot run from the Dark Lord. I believe that killing you would be even more enjoyable than killing that blood traitor Sirius Black."

That was all it took. Wand or no wand, Harry lunged at Bellatrix and punched her in the face. He felt a grim satisfaction at her yelp but felt himself pinned to the stone wall of his house by more than one wand. She recovered instantly, face in a frenzy as she pointed her wand at Harry. Then her features softened into a smile. "How about we have some fun?" The other Death Eaters laughed and raised their wands.

Seven utters of Crucio Echoed in the dark, night sky. Or was it day?

It didn't matter.

The animals scattered as they heard one loud scream reverberate through the forest.

X.X

Meanwhile, in a near part of the forest, a dozen Aurors were using various kinds of lighting spells to help their search.

"Lumos!" yelled a wizard, trying to get a better look at something.

"Are you sure he's here?" Scrimgeour was becoming more and more skeptical about this adventure his assistant was taking him on. The dense foliage, along with the unnerving darkness, led him to believe that there was no way Harry could survive, much less live, here for this long.

"Positive. No one else has a wand like—well, besides, uh, You-Know-Who, but we'd know if it was him."

"For your sake, I hope you're right, Fudge."

"Yes, sir." He hoped, more for Harry's sake this time, that he was right. Without Harry, you-know-who would probably finish what he started over a decade ago.

"I think we've found something," said an Auror, motioning to a small hut far in the distance. Screams of anguish only affirmed that.

"Wands ready! He's not alone."

X.X

"You think you're all that, don't you Potter?" Another Cruciatus Curse hit him in the chest. "Delusions of grandeur." Crucio. "You believe yourself capable of stopping the Dark Lord?" spat Bellatrix vehemently. The other Death Eaters had backed off. They had participated in their "fun" for a few minutes before Bellatrix turned it into a trial of vengeance. "You think destroying that prophecy, that—" She was taken with rage at the punishment she had endured after the affair at the Ministry. Harry's screams were turning into sobs, his mind clearly cracking under the strain.

Neville Longbottom's parents were lucky by comparison.

"Expedimenta!" Bellatrix's wand was jerked out of her hand; Harry was crying under her gaze, eyes glazed over and mouth wide open. Help had arrived, though.

"GET THE BOY! LET'S GO!" she yelled at the other Death Eaters. Unfortunately for them, they were both outnumbered and taken completely by surprise. They had been so entranced by the scene in front of them that every Auror was able to sneak up on them and disarm them without any resistance.

It was Scrimgeour that spoke first.

"Take them to Azkaban."

"Yes, sir." Scrimgeour remembered his conversation with Harry about the "unjust" imprisonment of a suspected Death Eater. What would he say now? Fudge, feeling guiltier than ever, stepped forth and tried to help on the sobbing Harry. He shrunk away from his touch.

"Is he okay?" asked a middle-aged Auror. She looked down worriedly at him. 'Just a boy,' she shook her head to herself. It was so sad these days, parents becoming childless and children becoming parentless.

"We need to take him to St. Mungo's. Immediately. I'll do it myself." He tried helping Harry up again and looked into his eyes. He always had his mother's eyes, but this time they were different. They weren't those lively, deep green eyes that he remembered. They were hollow obsidian orbs with a tint of green lost in the abyss. "Come on, Harry. It's me, Fudge. Everything's going to be okay now."

He tried approaching the boy again, but he shrunk away. Seeing as he wasn't going to get anywhere, he grabbed Harry quickly to waste no more time. In a few seconds, they apparated away.

A/N—Did you like it? Please read and review if you want this updated!